King of Victorious Smiles
by DeliciousWaffles
Summary: In that one moment, he had made a choice. No more. And there did Issei Hyoudou take his second breath. Highschool DxD x Exalted crossover.


Author's note: I don't own anything.

-S-

_He lay on a pile of stone rubble. He could barely move. He was lucky to be alive. _

_In the off distance he could still hear it, the sounds of clashing battles and throaty war screams. He didn't know how far he'd been sent – the church was pretty far away, or so he assumed. His vision was blurry at best. Frankly he was lucky he could hear anything. His ears were ringing mad. He couldn't even complain about it._

_Because the sudden manifestation of this armor he was wearing was probably why he'd lived. He'd gotten off light compared to what could have happened._

_Yet even it wasn't enough. _

_He needed __more__._

_He'd seen what those bastards did. What happened to those people; he couldn't live with him-self if he just sat here, with so many…so many! So many tears and screams and so much injustice! Did they even realize what they'd done to those people? Did they even _care_?_

_No. They probably didn't._

_But __he did__._

_And for as long as he breathed, this would not stand. Even if he had to hunt them to the very ends of the world; even if he had spend every waking moment of his life dedicated to this one injustice. For some, it was nothing more than an insignificant existence. A statistic of casualties. They'd tell him he was making a mountain of a mole hole._

_Those people could go to hell._

_For in this one moment, he made a choice. He would do everything in his power to prevent this sort of thing from happening ever again. Because they weren't numbers. They were people. They lived. They cried. They loved and they hated._

_They smiled like anyone else._

_And anyone who would dare rob the happiness of others would see just how terrifying he could really be._

_In that one moment, he had made a choice._

_No more__._

_And there did Issei Hyoudou take his second breath._

-S-

His name is Issei Hyoudou, and the sunlight is his arch nemesis.

Specifically the sunlight that likes to peak through his shutters in the morning after a long night of arts and crafts…of the lewd kind.

Was this god's retribution for being a pervert? It sure felt like it was, the way it got into his eyes. Almost made him want to dramatically rear back and hiss at the touch, like some kind of Japanese high school boy vampire.

"Yahoo~ It's time to get up~" He heard something shake and rumble, and turned to look at his night stand. The girl on his clocks screen was looking moderately dressed in a school uniform, skirt swishing with every bounce of her step. The prominent twin tails twirling around as she spun in place was what he liked best about Monday's girl, he thought.

Besides her Oppai anyway.

"You're gonna be late for school if you don't hurry~" Right. School. That was a thing.

Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, the boy stretched him-self out with a yawn. Then with all the energy of an average high school student looking forward to a week of classes, which he wasn't, Issei pushed his seat away from his paper littered desk.

It never took him long to get ready. Walks across the hall, brush of teeth, stick his head under the nozzle and twist the knob, walk out wiping his hair of. Full on showers were only weekly. Mint scent items took care of the rest. His clothing was similarly easy to slap together, just the Kouh jacket, red shirt and pants. Simple. He heard the call for breakfast as he was finishing slipping on his jacket. Grinning, he walked over to the door and took hold of the knob, on his way out.

Then he stopped, a sudden realization hitting him and turned back around to grab a paper off the top of his desk. Issei gave it a quick over and satisfied with the work, neatly folded it and stuffed it into his pants pocket.

"Good morning Oka-san~! Oto-san~!" Issei greeted his parents, stepping down from the stairs and into the kitchen. He was practically skipping his way in.

"Good morning, worthless musuko." His father had said ruthlessly from behind his newspaper.

"Good morning, worthless musuko." His mother was at the counter, cleaning off from breakfast preparations.

The high schooler froze mid-step, arms locked in place and a single foot raised. "Oi! Is that anyway to greet your darling musuko!?" He gave them both a solid look of _displeasement_. Not glare. Issei was a good boy. He wouldn't dare to glare at the two who brought him into this world.

Even if they were shitty parents.

His father folded his newspaper, and gave a similar look of disappoint. "Oi! The truth is the truth you worthless Musuko! You can't lie about the facts, and the fact is you're worthless!"

By this time Issei had sat down at the table, and had just lifted his chopsticks to dig in. "Oi! I get decent grades don't I!? I help Oka-san with the chores right!? I'm a good musuko!" Said Oka-san was rounding the counter, having taken off her apron and joining her family at the table.

"Hmph! If only that were enough…" He slammed his chopsticks down and pointed at his son, "A worthless boy like you who never does anything more than watch AV films and draw those sleazy pictures wouldn't know the heartbreak of an Oto-san…"

"Oi!" It was Issei's turn to slam the sticks down, and point a finger at his father. There was a line. This man had just crossed it. "Those aren't 'sleazy pictures'! They're works of art! They're the future!"

"…Muu, to think he'd fallen this far…" Don't try to say sounds meant for cute school girls!

"Its okay, Oto-san, we tried our best to raise him to be a good man …" Stop giving that pitying look!

"Hmph! I'll show you! I'm a man who gives his word, and I swear that one day you'll see me surrounded by women in these very same dresses!" He had a dream to be a fashion designer. Not very climatic or amazing, was it? Or manly, for that matter. People might even think he's gay for it.

But _they_ weren't going to spend their lives surrounded by beautiful women personally modeling their clothing, were they?

Yes, all that lovely fabric on such silky skin…supple bodies…large oppai…..

"Oi, oi, stupid musuko. You're drooling."

Issei quickly snapped out of his fantasies and wiped the spit away with his sleeve, "Oi! Who's a stupid musuko!? A man of your caliber couldn't hope to understand my dreams!"

He closed his eyes, bringing his arms in to cross dramatically across his chest. He nodded to him-self. "For one day I will be a fashion designer – the greatest fashion designer! Known around the world as the man who changed the future for the best with his drawings and genius! A man who will hold no equal in this world!"

Issei huffed, and puffed his chest out. "And I'll spend my days being covered in women! All of them wearing those so called 'sleazy dresses'! Just you watch!" And thus was it made known his true intentions for his career choice. Not that his parents hadn't already noticed before.

He opened his eyes, to look at his parent's reactions. Surely they could understand his dreams as a man!

What he got instead of a silent staring, a shared glance and his parents weeping.

"It seems the Hyoudou line ends here…"

"I'm sorry ancestors! I'm sorry your descendent is such a terrible person!"

You shitty parents!

Ms. Hyoudou took a quick look at the clock on the wall. "Shouldn't you be going soon, Issei? It's almost time for school."

Issei's eyes got comically wide, shooting up to the clock. Seven forty and it'd take him thirty minutes just to walk to school. And he'd promised to show the boy's his new piece of art today! "I've got to go!" He jumped from his seat, slamming it back in with the complaints of his father and bolted for the door.

Pulling off his house slippers and tearing on his slippers, the young man frantically laced them up. His mother poked her head past the door frame, holding a box. "Issei, bento." She called for his attention.

He boy leaned back to glance at his mother, grinning. Standing to his feet, and completely disregarding the fact that he had his outside shoes on, Issei went over to his to get his lunch. "Hey! No walking in the house with sneakers on!" She glared down at his feet.

Issei looked down, then back up, then down again. Then with all the gall of a teenager in trouble, swiped his bento and pecked his mother's cheek with a kiss. The older woman palmed it with her hand, taken by surprise. "Hai, hai, I'll remember it next time! Tell Oto-san to be careful on his way to work!"

"I can hear you from here, worthless musuko."

Issei swiped his bag, and ran out the door with a grin, completely ignoring his father. "I'll be back later! Love you both!"

"Be careful on your way to school! Hey, Issei!...geez that boy…"

-S-

As it turned out, the united perversion of men of perverted compassion ™ was more than enough to get Issei to school earlier than expected. Sure, he'd run the entire way down the streets but he wasn't particularly athletic. So obviously it was his perverted circle of friends, fueling him with their lewdness and desire, giving him the stamina to get there on time!

…Or it could just be those morning jogs with Matsuda. But he liked the FEELs of friendship over such stuffy logic!

Even if it did sound a bit _disturbing_. Whatever.

"Gentlemen," Issei said seriously, nodding to both of them. The balding individual was the previously named Matsuda, former track star and current member of the photo club. The other was Motohama, the glasses wearing boy known as the 'Three Sizes Scouter" - though he preferred 'Scholar' but the school just wouldn't listen to his pleas.

They'd taken to the side of the school building, out of the watchful eyes of the school girl populous. It was imperative that they weren't caught; pretty much anything they did these days resulted in a beating (how cruel!) and the last thing he wanted to deal with before class was a lump on his head.

"Ehehe, did you bring it like you promised…?" Matsuda was grinning to him-self and rubbing his hands.

"I'm _most_ eager to see it." Motohama was pushing his glasses up scarily.

They were practically drooling when he handed them the paper. They'd quickly snatched it away from him and huddled down, looking over his drawing. Issei placed a hand on his hip, and used his other to give a flip of his bangs, looking down on his friends like they were insignificant beings. "So? What do you think of my greatness? Shocking isn't it? Beautiful? _Magnificent_?"

They'd taken a moment to look at the paper, blinked, then looked between them-selves. Then Motohama shoved the paper back into a confused Issei's face. "W-what?"

"Look at this! Look at it!"

And with a wary look at his comrades, he did. Frills were the defining trait of this particular master piece. It was gothic Lolita, trimmed and flowing with grace. He was going for simple yet lovely – too many people had gotten overly difficult with their Lolita designs. He thought simple was best – at least with this particular type of clothing – and focused more on the curves and outlines of the drawling.

His model for this particular drawling, in which he had several favorites, was a certain onee-sama of the school. Akeno Himejima smiled back at the looker, pinching the hems of her dress as she leaned forward. Issei was trying to capture the look of a girl playfully making her way through some kind of terrain, like water or dirt, not wanting her dress to get dirty while playing with a friend. Girlish, yet carrying that famous serene quirk of the lips she was known for.

He'd also, in his genius, drawn her hair down, happily trailing behind her as she went. Of course Issei had never seen what she looked like with it down, always up in its signature ponytail. He didn't think anyone had, except maybe that closed circle of hers.

"Yeah? It's Himejima-sempai in a Lolita like I promised."

"We've already seen this you fool!" Motohama yelled, pushing the picture into Issei's face for emphasis.

"H-hey! Don't do that, you'll ruin it!" Of course he hadn't dared tried to yank it away from his angered friend. The last thing he wanted to do was to accidently tear the picture by fighting over it. But it was certainly the last time he'd let such a brute who rough handled his master pieces hold any of his drawings any time soon!

"We were promised Gremory-sempai in a meido outfit! You showed us this last week." Matsuda backed up Motohama, but was significantly less enraged. He was probably just happy to see a good looking drawing, even if he had already._ He'd_ still get to handle Issei's pictures.

Oh. Wait. "Did I really say that?"

They both nodded.

Issei hit the bottom of his fist with an open palm. "That's right. I did, didn't I?"

Silence

"Idddiiioootttt!"

"Foooooolll!"

"I'll bring it tomorrow I swear!"

"What are you boys doing?"

All three heads slowly, very slowly, turned to look at the source of the voice. Looking down from the second story window was the second most popular girl in school, one of the legendary onee-sama's and the very same person whose picture Motohama was openly showing for all to see.

Yoink!

"Nothing sempai!" Issei called out hastily, quickly shoving the picture into his pockets. He cringed to do it, there would be wrinkles all over it now but damnet this was an emergency!

Akeno Himejima was leaning on the window seal; one hand cupping her cheek, the other he assumed resting on the seal. "Is that so?" She asked, that legendary quirk smile gracing her lips.

"How much did you hear?" Matsuda blurted out, with Motohama covering the former jock's mouth a second too late.

"Oh," she hummed, shifting her hand over to place a finger on her chin in contemplation, "Enough,"

"Ahaha, aha, haaa…" Issei gave a nervous laugh, backing up slowly. Motohama was dragging Matsuda every inch, with said baldy starting to sweat bullets.

"Ara, ara, Is something the matter~?"

"N-nothing, Sempai!" Issei waved his hands, "Have a good day!"

Then brave sir Issei and his stooges bravely ran away.

"So adorable~," Akeno giggled to her-self, watching her underclassmen flee for their embarrassed lives.

-S-

The moment a Japanese student, especially one as unpopular as Issei Hyoudou, stepped through the doors to school they were effectively on auto-pilot. Oh sure, there were variations here or there. The cute wavy haired girl always checked her phone after pulling out her shoes. The square jock fumbled with his lock combination twice before he finally got it. The little first year had to step on her toes just to reach the locker they accidently put at the very top. It was noisy, chatty and generally routine by now.

But it was still pleasing to this Issei Hyoudou.

So when a letter fell out of his locker, Issei was understandably shocked.

"Oi, Ise, what are you looking at? Is it another prank?" Matsuda asked. The bald man had his shoe locker just two down. Motohama's was on the other side of the locker section. Issei hadn't known how long he was standing there staring at the envelope, but his buddy's question had snapped him out of it.

Gently, with trembling hands, the school boy picked up the letter. It was bright pink, and when he turned it over to have a look at the other side, found his name surrounded in bright red hearts.

"W-wait, I-i-i-ise!?" His friend squeaked, gulping at the sight of the mysterious letter. "C-could that be?"

"I," Issei licked his lips. Carefully he turned it back over and ran his finger nail into the letter opening. He could have just torn into the thing to get whatever was inside, but Issei didn't want to ruin this moment. He wanted to savior it, if it was truly…truly what he thought it was.

He finally managed to open the sacred treasure of sacredness ™, quietly placing the envelope back into his locker and unfolding the white paper that was found within.

_Dearest Issei_

_Please meet me behind the school shed after lunch. There's something that I must talk to you about, something that's been with me this entire school semester and I just…I can't hold it back anymore. I'm begging you, Issei-sama! Please just be there. Please._

_Signed _

_Yuuma Amano._

The writing had been done in distinctively feminine writing, with a bright pink pen, and covered all around by hearts. Issei read it once more, then twice, then three more times, until Motohama had pulled round the locker selection to see what his friends were so intently staring at.

It was _legit_.

"What's the hold up?" The glasses high schooler asked, trying to see from his spot on the school grounds. He didn't want to get yelled at for getting his school slippers dirty by walking closer.

Issei took the note and with a single, definite _sniff _enjoyed the scent of the letter. "That, my friend? That is the smell of _victory_...and fruity raspberry."

"Eh?"

"Y-y-you..!" Matsuda was shaking, understandably so. Issei looked away, flipping his bangs for the second time that day.

"Jealous? You should be mongrel. I've just been elevated to a higher existence!" He declared with all the confidence of a world conqueror standing before his peons.

"Bastard! This can't be happening! You!? A confession!?"

"Ahahaha~ What's wrong, wittle Matsuda? Can't handle the truth of greatness~?" The way his friend's eye's bulged was so worth the soon to be beating he'd get from the man. They were on a different, physical level after all. The former sports player could hit like a truck if he wanted to.

"Calm down, Matsuda." Motohama adjusted his glasses, catching a faint glint off some sunlight poking its way through the window. "This could just be a prank or penalty game." Then he lifted his head up high, nose turned at Issei. His face was looking something fierce, "Don't get cocky you little shit."

Issei's face hardened, eyes focused squarely on his frien-no! _Former_ friend! "Then have a look, Scholar." He didn't know how he managed to accurately through a folded letter so far to Motohama, but he did, and that's all that mattered at the moment.

The self-proclaimed scholar caught it easily, had it open with a flip of his wrist and was quickly reading over its contents.

His face paled.

Motohama dropped to his knees, slapped his hands against the ground and bowed his head. "Forgive me my lord! I was foolish!"

"W-what, Motohama? What are you doing!?" Matsuda asked, wondering why the scholar had a sudden shift of attitude. Motohama was quick to pull his friend down, even if it had meant getting his slippers dirty.

"You fool! Haven't you realized!?" He whisper yelled. Somehow.

"Realize what!?" Matsuda whisper yelled back.

"If he has a girlfriend, that means he could get her to introduce us to some pretty friends!"

"I might have even asked her to convince them to go on double or triple dates." Issei eyed them with contempt, knowing exactly what his friends were discussing.

The two looked at one another.

Slap!

Bow!

""Forgive us! Issei-dono!"" The both lowered them-selves before him like vassals before their lord.

"Hmph! I suppose I could over look it this one time, peons." Issei's nose was so high it could scratch the ceiling if he wanted to. "A king must be understanding of his subject's pleas, after all. Ohohoho~" He declared imperiously.

"Oi! Perverted Trio!" called a distinctively female voice, "Get to class already! You're making a racket!"

"""Haaaaiii!"""

-S-

Yet despite his bravado, Issei was nervous.

No one could blame him, really. He'd never actually gotten a legitimate confession before. Or at least a letter in his locker that wasn't a prank. It was fairly disheartening how often that'd come to pass last year. Until it'd reached the point where he'd make it a habit to politely take those letters into the class of whoever brought them and loudly, very loudly, declared that he couldn't got out with them.

Needless to say he hadn't seen a single one since he started his second year.

They'd always been plain pieces of paper with a pleasantly polite "Please meet me at insert spot here".

…Heh, it felt bad at the time but the first prank he got involved him getting shot down right outside the school doors. So everyone got a good look of his tears when he'd gotten rejected. At least the girl was nice enough to apologize afterwards.

Honestly, you'd think after having such a public humiliation they'd have left him alone. But some people apparently saw the "Perverted Trio" as something less than human, so they just kept coming until he dealt with the problem.

Highschool kids sure were scary.

So having a legitimate confession fall into his lap was, well, something.

A something that had been tearing him up all day.

The school bell rang, signaling the end of another day. His friends had pulled him aside, wiped him off and wished him good luck. Issei would have questioned their sudden good natures if it hadn't already been established they had an investment in his success.

Though he'd made it a point to tell them not to follow him; last thing the boy needed was for his friends to scare her off with their perverted trio combo.

Slipping through the doors and going around the corner, he made his way towards the assigned destination. Anxiety washed over him as Issei got closer to the shed. When it'd finally reached the point of near boiling over, not even half way there, the young student stopped in his tracks.

He was better than this. Issei knew he was! And so did others! Why else would a girl ask him out!? Legitimately. Maybe. He hoped.

No! NO! He will not lose confidence! He was going to walk right back there, hear her confession then grab the girl and pull her into a leaning kiss that'll assert his manliness!

…Okay, maybe not that. But he certainly wasn't going to walk in about to piss him-self over it. Then he slapped him-self. Then slapped him-self again. Then with a double smack, he set his face into a look of grim determination; which probably wouldn't look that pleasing to see for a potential girlfriend but Issei didn't have nearly the clear line of thought process at the moment to realize that. He was just barely keeping it together as is!

"Issei Hyoudou, you sir are better than this." He whispered assuring to him-self. Issei couldn't let fear be what drives away his chance at highschool romance! So he'd have to buck up and go in there with his head held high.

"Rejoice, Yumma Amano! Your time has come!" When Iseei had arrived behind the shed his was chest out, face stern and generally looking like a gorilla. He had, slowly, shifted his stance from that of a frightened school boy to that of (in his mind) manly man of manliness ™.

Violet eyes stared back at him, confused.

"H-himejima-sempai?" His body deflated.

There stood one of the beauties of Kouh Highschool; long legs, long black hair and that beautiful face of hers…even if it was pulled into a puzzle expression. Then, like magic, her lips took the form of a smile. She crossed arms underneath her chest, unintentionally pressing them up, and cupped her cheek with the palm of her hand. "Issei-kun. I've been waiting for you."

"W-w-w-what!?" He asked, gaping at the woman, a thousand questions running through his head, "I-,wha, what about Yuuma?" Issei finally settled on.

"Aha~" Her smile grew, than took a turn for the pity, "That's why I'm here. I'm a friend of Yuuma's. I'm sorry Issei-kun, it was a prank."

"N-neegh," What was that sound? Was that the sound of his heart breaking? Yes, Issei thought, that was most definitely his heart breaking. Being wrenched out by the cruelty of Japanese high school girls, who'd managed to get him to let his guard down; all they had to do was make it girly enough to throw him off. His head and arms dropped, defeated

"Ara, ara, don't look so down." Issei glanced back up at his senior, and came face to face with her. She'd leaned down to get a look at him.

If he wasn't so drained by her declaration, Issei would have probably comically fallen back on his rear right about now.

"Issei-kun?" She genuinely looked concerned. Issei managed a strained grin for Kouh's second best. "Mmm, Issei-kun, there's another reason I came here. May I take your hand?"

"…Hold hands?"

"Yes,"

Issei gave her a blank look, showing half interest. She smiled warmly. "Please?"

He gave his hand, and she took it with hers. Fingers intertwined and the softness of her skin was pleasant. They felt warm. Her smile brightened as she pulled his hand closer to her. "I know it's in poor taste to ask this right after you've received a prank, but…"

"Will you go out with me?"

Issei stared at her. Then blinked. Blinked again. Then jerked his head up with a howl when everything finally clicked. "EHHHHHH!?"

"Ara, ara, is that a yes?"

"N-no!"

"No?" The way her face shifted into a pout was just adorable.

"No! I-I mean y-yes! Yes! I would love to!" The way her face lit up with his words would be with him until the day he died.

"Wonderful! Just let me go get my stuff real quick and we can walk home together, Issei~."

N-no honorifics!?

"See you at the gates~" And then she strutted off, leaving the awe-struck high schooler alone. Yuuma was completely forgotten.

It was only after she was completely out of sight did the young man leap for joy. Was this a dream? Had he accidently slipped and cracked his head somewhere!? Don't wake him up if it was!

"YES!"

-S-

"_So how'd it go?"_

"A major success~ Ara, ara, he was so happy when I asked."

"_Could you feel anything?"_

"Mm, yes. Draconic energy, like we thought. I couldn't sense it until I held his hand but…"

"_I wonder how they managed to detect it before us..."_

"Curious, isn't it?"

"_Speaking of, the fallen angel?"_

"Aha~ She struggled a bit, but no longer a problem~."

"_Good. Keep close to Hyoudou-san for now. We don't know what the other fallen in the area will do."_

"Shouldn't we just demonize him if we're going to go through so much trouble?"

"_He's better bait as a human,"_

"And what if he dies?"

"_Then I revive him. Simple."_

"…Haaaa, honestly Rias. If that's all, I'll be going now."

"_Well, yes. But what's the rush?"_

"I've got a special meeting with certain someone~"

"…_Try not to play around too much, okay?"_

"Hai, hai." And with that, Akeno Himejima flicked her cell phone closed and dropped it into her bag. Holstering it onto her shoulder, the black hair bishoujo strolled out of the school doors to the gate, humming a tune.

-S-

Author notes: Hope you enjoyed the prologue. Review, lotty's. Let me know what you think.


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